The Tipping Point

Think back to when you were a child. There was a moment for almost every one of us, whether it was in a green field, on a frozen lake, or in a stuffy gym when the dream died. The dream that we would grow up to be a professional athlete. For me, it must have happened around age 7 or 8. I realized that despite my parents' urgings, I couldn't be anything I wanted to be when I grew up. Sure, I could be successful, happy, maybe even wealthy someday, but I wasn't going to bat for the Mets or score 69 goals in a season for the Islanders. I just wasn't athletic enough and there was nothing that could change that. At least I realized it at an early enough age as to not waste thousands of my parents' dollars and hours clinging to false hope. I pursued other avenues of opportunity.

That feeling washed over me again on Saturday night as I sat on my couch watching the Isles go down to defeat in Philadelphia. Despite what the players say, the coach insists, or we fans wish for, the 2007-2008 playoff dream is dead. Pick a reason -- too many points left on the ice. Not enough scoring. Superior competition. Too many injuries. Et cetera, et cetera.

While they gave us an outstanding effort at times, it's time to close the book on this Islanders hockey season. If (General Manager) Garth Snow really is a builder, the 2008 offseason will be his time to shine. All is not lost. The "kid line" has played well. Comrie and Guerin will be back. Kyle Okposo (who scored on Saturday night in his game) is on the way. Jon Sim will be healthy. And the defensive corps should remain mostly intact.

The Isles are staring at a deep draft. They have a boatload of picks and could realistically finish in the bottom five of the league, giving them a shot at winning the Steve Stamkos lottery. But even if they don't win him this summer the consolation prizes are pretty good too, from what we read.

Go ahead. Enjoy the last 12 games. Root your heart out for the Islanders against the Rangers. Enjoy March Madness. Enjoy the NHL playoffs if you so choose. Just don't delude yourself into thinking the Isles will be there. The dream is dead.

And Now A Word About Short Handed Goals...

Islanders beat the Rangers 4-3 (SO) on Tuesday night. But will someone please listen to Vince?

New Feature

Kyle's current stats are now available on the right hand side of this page. No more searching through old posts for his scoring line, now it's right in front of you. After Sound Tigers games it will be updated as quickly as humanly possible. You can also check to see when his next scheduled game action will be.

For fans of the now-defunct Mood Meter, consider the mood DESPERATE for the rest of the season...

Highs and Lows

Hey all,

Now that we've had a few moments to compose our thoughts, it's time to reflect on a weekend of emotional swings.

If you're a Bridgeport fan, you've got to be elated with their recent play; they won all three games this long weekend (Fri-Sat-Sun) and are just one (1) point out of an AHL playoff spot. They picked up the big 6 points but still trail Wilkes-Barre/Scranton by the slimmest of margins due to that team's win on Sunday.

Bridgeport has enjoyed positive contributions from various sources as of late. Ben Walter, Tim Jackman, and Trevor Smith provided the scoring on Friday night. Newcomer Colton Fretter chipped in with a 2-goal game in Saturday's win over Binghamton, and Jackman did the same in Sunday's win at Lowell. Let's not overlook the solid contributions from goaltenders Joey MacDonald and Mike Morrison either.

Unfortunately, while the party was raging, Kyle O. preferred to stand in the corner and watch, registering only 1 assist the entire time. Oh well.

While we're happy that the kids are prospering, all is not well in Islanderland. The Isles lost on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons and took away none of the potential four points. With 16 games left and sitting now 5 points out of a playoff berth, it is an understatement to say that time is running out on this team. Sunday's loss was not due to a lack of trying though, as the team registered a whopping 53 shots on goal in the 1-0 loss to Florida. Coach Ted Nolan was pleased with the team's effort, though, and is desperate to figure out how to get the pucks flying into the basket.

There was a pre-game emotional lift, however, as the Islanders honored the greats from their dynasty team of 1980-1983. While there was no banner raising this time around, it was great to once again see such luminaries as Denis Potvin, Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, Clark Gillies, and of course, Bob Nystrom back on the Coliseum ice.

With an average of 2.45 goals scored per game this season, the current team could use a dose of energy from those high-flying championship teams. But that's a story for another day.

Back In Action

Kyle Okposo and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers return to the ice for three games this weekend. The club will be active on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as they enter a crucial stretch of the season. They are currently five points out of a playoff spot but a strong showing in these next three games will likely vault them back into position for a postseason berth.

The Islanders, while idle on Friday, also have two big games coming up this weekend. Like their AHL feeder club, the Isles are just a few points (two, in fact) shy of playoff contention. They'll take on the 8th-place Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon, then welcome in an inconsistent Florida Panthers team on Sunday. If the Islanders want to move up the table and help their cause, they must win games like these.

Sunday is likely to be another special day at the Coliseum because the Islanders will again be celebrating their proud history, this time with the 'Core of the Four' presentation. The men who anchored the 4 Stanley Cup Championships in the early 1980's will be honored with a 'Walk of Champions,' followed by a banner raising ceremony for legendary coach Al Arbour.

We'll have details of the events regarding both Kyle and those on Long Island, so you'll want to check back here frequently. It promises to be another special weekend of Islanders hockey.

There Are No Winners or Losers

Except for Montreal which bit it big with their pathetic and head-scratching showing at the trade deadline. Bear with me for a minute while I rant. The worst thing someone can do for their head on the day after the trade deadline is to read the fall-out articles. Sports writers for the most parts are like political pundits: They know what they're talking about, they just don't know what it means.

Case in point would be a certain sports writer on a popular search engine/web domain who decided to assign grades for the moves (and non-moves) made on Tuesday. Montreal, who could only manage to ship off a goaltender for a 2nd round pick in 2009, received a C- grade. With all the talk about the great additions Les Habs were going to make, this underwhelming swap does not equal addition by subtraction. Yet four spots below the Canadiens were the Isles with a D+ rating being chastised for not adding a scorer. Wasn't that what half the league was trying to do on Tuesday? It seemed that at least the Isles got picks for a deep 2008 entry draft in exchange for a waning winger and a defenseman prone to lapses in defense. All in all it seems harsh that teams like the Islanders, who are thinking about the future first, are getting the sports writer cold shoulder media-wide. There were no winners or losers on Tuesday, just more of the same.

What did remain most surprising about Tuesday, though, was the fact that only 3 top tier players (Richards, Hossa and Campbell) were moved while rumored bodies Jokinen, Rob Blake and Marleau remained in place. I am not quite sure it was as exciting a day as everybody keeps making it out to be.

That's All, Folks!

Just got back from speaking with Islanders' General Manager Garth Snow. We learned that Jeff Tambellini (who by now must be feeling like a yo-yo) will be called up in the wake of the Simon move.

New defenseman Rob Davison is with the team and should play this evening.

When we asked about Kyle Okposo, Garth was noncommittal, but said he wouldn't be surprised to see Kyle in an Isles jersey "at some point." Keeping things open-ended, wouldn't you say?

Well, Isles skate with the new-look Penguins in about 2 1/2 hours...